Angle adapter



y 7 E- c. QUACKENBUSH 2,801,395

ANGLE ADAPTER Filed Dec. 2 0. 1954 FIGQZ IMVENTOR.

- Edward Clorke'Quockenbush -ATTORNEYS r wiq United States Patent ANGLEADAPTER Edward Clarke Quackenhush, Hamden, Coma, assignor to WhitneyBlake Company, New Haven, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut ApplicationDecember 20, 1954, Serial No. 476,297

1 Claim. ((31.339-94) My invention relates to electrical connectorsparticularly for use in radio and aircraft electrical circuits, whichconnectors are of the general type of axially mating male and femaleconnector assemblies and in which each connector assembly includes oneor more solid bar contact members positioned lengthwise within aresilient insert which is housed within a generally cylindrical shell.At one end of each connector assembly the ends of the contact bars areexposed to permit their axial engagement with the ends of the contactmembers of a complementary connector assembly. The remote end from themating end of each connector assembly is arranged to permit connectionof external electrical conductors to the bar contact members.

My present invention is primarily concerned with the construction of anangle adapter which serves as a curved extension of a connector assemblyshell which is joined at one end to the non-mating end of the shell witha moisture-tight connection. At its other end the extension is providedsuitably for mounting in a partition or on the end of an elongatedconduit, for example, by threaded connection therewith. It is anotherobject of my present invention to provide an angle adapter extension forelectrical connectors of the type described which is light in weight andwhich can be securely engaged with the nonmating end of the connectorassembly to provide any desired angular position with respect to theaxial line of the connector.

These and other objects of my invention are obtained essentially by anadapter formed from a curved conduit having a straight end portion whichreceives the nonmating end of the connector. The straight end portion isprovided with an internal shoulder and an annular gasket together with aplurality of set screws, or similar fastening devices, which angularlypass through the end portion and engage a flange on the end of theconnector to force the end of the connector to abut the gasket and forceit tightly against the annular shoulder in the adapter to provide amoisture-tight seal while at the same time permitting the angle adapterto be secured at any angle with respect to the axial line through theconnector assembly.

In the accompanying drawings to which reference is made hereinafter andwhich illustrate the application of my invention in a connector assemblyconstruction:

Figure l is a longitudinal section of an angle adapter constructed inaccordance with my invention illustrating the manner of its connectionto a connector assembly as an extension thereof;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the angle adapterdisconnected from the connector assembly;

Figure 3 is a cross-section of the'device as seen in Figure 1 taken atline 3-3 in Figure 1.

In the drawings the reference numeral designates a female connectorassembly including a generally cylindrical shell 11 and a resilientinsert 12 retained within' shell 11. A plurality of female bar contactmembers Patented July 30, 1957 ice 13 extend lengthwise throughresilient insert 12 and are visible in Figures 1 and 2 at theirnon-mating ends only as these extend from the rear face of resilientinsert 12 and form conventional solder cups 13a, in each of which theend of a conductor 14 is soldered.

Shell 11, as indicated in the drawings, is provided with a radiallyextending annular flange 15 located intermediate the ends of shell 11and with a radially extending annular flange 16 located at thenon-mating end of shell 11. A coupling ring 17 which is internallythreaded at 18 to engage the external threads on the mating end of ashell of a complementary male connector unit (not shown) and which isprovided with an inwardly extending annular shoulder 19 at itsnon-mating end is slipped over the non-mating end of shell 11 to aposition in which shoulder 19 abuts flange 15 and is thus limited inaxial movement by flange 15.

The angle adapter 20 includes a curved conduit 21 which is open at bothends. One end is provided with a cylindrical straight portion 22 havingexternal threads 23 suitable for engaging a mounting bracket or thelike. The other end of angle adapter 29 is provided with a cylindricalstraight portion 24 which is of an inside diameter sufficient to passflange 16 on the end of connector shell 11.

Cylindrical portion 24 is provided with three threaded openings 25 whichare aligned and are spaced at equal arcuate intervals about cylindricalportion 24. Each opening 25 is at an angle of about 45 to the axis ofcylindrical portion 24 and is inclined inwardly toward curved portion 21of angle adapter 20. A set screw 26 having a conical point 27 which hasan apex angle of approximately 45 with the axis of the set screw isthreadedly engaged in each opening 25 with conical point 27 extendinginwardly.

A resilient annular gasket 28 which fits tightly within cylindricalportion 245 of angle adapter 20 abuts an annular shoulder 29 in adapter20 which extends inwardly to an inside diameter smaller than the insidediameter of cylindrical portion 24 and than the outside diameter offlange 16. Shoulder 29 separates cylindrical portion 24 from curvedconduit portion 21 of angle adapter 2%.

Angle adapter 20 is secured upon the non-mating end of connectorassembly 10 by unthreading and withdrawing set screws 26 sufliciently topermit cylindrical extension 24 to be slipped over the non-mating end ofshell 11 to a point in which flange 16 abuts gasket 23 and compresses ittightly against shoulder 2 to form a moisture-tight seal between shell11 and angle adapter 20. Set screws 26 are then tightened down to bringconical tips 27- into engagement with flange 16 andthus tighten the twounits (connector 11) and adapter 2d) together. It will be apparent uponinspection of the drawings that a slight bevel 16a on the rear face offlange 16 is employed to assist etficient seating of gasket 28. At thesame time the angle at which each set screw 26 enters cylindricalportion 24 and the angle of each conical tip 27 is correlated with theangle of the engaged face of flange 16 to assure as flat a contactbetween the side of conical tip 27 and the engaging face of flange 16 aspossible in order to prevent undue wear of flange 16 or of the point ofconical tip 27.

it will be further apparent upon inspection of the drawings that angleadapter 20 can be rotated to any desired position on the end ofconnector 10 and then secured in such position by tightening set screws26. At the same time a solid electrical connection is obtained betweenangle adapter 20 and the shell 11 of connector 10 where this is desiredfor grounding purposes.

Although I have described my invention as applied to a female connect-orassembly in which the conductor is secured to contact bars byuse of asolder cup construction, it will also be apparent that my invention isequally applicable to male connector assemblies and to connectorassemblies in which other methods of securing connection between contactand conductor are employed.

I claim:

An electrical connector assembly which comprises a resilient insertcontaining a bar contact member extending lengthwise therein exposed atone end for axial engagement with a corresponding bar contact member ofa complementary connector and connected to an external electricalconductor at its other end; a shell retaining said insert having anoutwardly extending annular flange at its end adjacent to the end ofsaid bar contact member from which said conductor extends; an angleadapter which includes an open-ended hollow conduit having a straightcylindrical portion at one end receiving endwise and enclosing theflanged end of said shell and having a curved portion intermediate itsends whereby said open ends of said conduit are aligned about differentaxes; a plurality of openings in said conduit aligned with respect tothe axis of and spaced at arcuate intervals about said cylindricalportion, each of said openings extending through said cylindricalportion at an acute angle to the axis of said cylindrical portion andbeing inclined inwardly toward said curved portion of said conduit; aninternal annular shoulder in said conduit having an inside diameter lessthan the inside diameter of said cylindrical portion and less than theoutside diameter of said flange on said shell and disposed between saidcylindrical portion and said curved portion; an annular resilient gasketpress said gasket whereby a moisture-tight seal is obtained between saidshell and said angle adapter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,775,352 Mahan Sept. 9, 1930 2,374,971 Benander May 1, 1945 2,662,219Hennessey et a1. Dec. 8, 1953 2,674,722 Hubbell et al. Apr. 6, 1954

